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Atlanta Braves Trade Outlook

By Fred Owens

Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (38) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (38) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (38) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (38) pitches against the New York Mets during the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Mets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves Trade Outlook

Aroldis Chapman started the movement of back-end relievers and former Atlanta Braves albatross outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. became the first outfield domino to fall last night. How do these moves effect the Braves at the deadline?

The Relief Market

First reactions to the Chapman move were that the Yankees made a great deal, Gleyber Torres and Billy McKinney were among the Cubs top prospects and Rashad Crawford has a lot of upside and Adam Warren’s return to pinstripes boost their shaky pitching staff, so the package looked big.  This brought hope to some Braves fans that it would lead to a bigger return for Arodys Vizcaino but that’s not likely to be the case,

Torres is indeed a premier talent – Baseball America ranks him #27 in their top 100 –a  shortstop who will likely move to second base and become a 15-20 homer middle infielder but the current value of the other two players isn’t as high.

Billy McKinney was a highly ranked prospect with the A’s and assumed a similar ranking with the Cubs but injuries slowed his progress and his current .252/.355/.322/.677 line isn’t that impressive. Billy the Kid is young with a great eye at the plate and is playing with a group that are an average of four years older so there’s reason to expect a rebound. I’ve been and remain a fan of this guy but his current value isn’t huge.

Crawford is a long shot at this point, a late round draftee in 2012 known for his tools  rather than any single attribute.

All this adds up to the Yankees trying to what the Braves did, flesh out a tissue thin farm system knowing that if they want Chapman at the end of the season they have a great chance of signing him.

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